posted on: Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Since I was pregnant last year I've slowly been converting the preschooler's room from a space for one into a room for two. It's something of a work in progress but we're enjoying it so far. Would you like to take a peek?

One of the preschooler's favourite things is the book basket by his bed. In the morning I often find it overflowing with all the stories he was reading while he was supposed to be asleep.

There are quite a few prints and artworks in this tiny room; the largest is a canvas my dad painted for the teen's very first Christmas 14 years ago. Magically it features three children that resemble the teen, the preschooler and the lady (well, one day when she's bigger). How cool is that?

I don't know how to crochet, knit or sew but I love handmade toys and linens and their room is full of them. Once I'd decided on a vintage patchwork theme I organised for matching quilts and bunting to be made. (Just quietly I was in floral sheet heaven choosing the different fabrics.)

vibe
Handmade and vintage: lovely kitsch bits and bobs reminiscent of my own childhood bedroom in the late '70s and early '80s.

who lives here
Max, 4 years old and Rose, 4 months old in Sydney, Australia.

decor
I used the painting by my dad as a jumping-off point for the colour scheme and sent the lovely Tina at Tina Magee Sews on Etsy (who made the quilts and bunting) a picture of it. She suggested fabrics that would suit. Max helped too by choosing fabrics in shades that he liked, namely yellow.
The crochet floor mat was a gift from Suzanne at Rock Stock Vintage on Etsy when I purchased the Farm Boy print. I bought the chalkboard from Ikea about 15 years ago and the cloud canopy, plastic change mat and white picture frames also from Ikea about one year ago. Adele the doll was from Warm Sugar, the seal plushie was from The Raisin Did It, the Long Dog was from June Craft and the felt fox and bear were from Sleepy King. The book basket was a pre-loved find, the doll Moses basket was mine as a child and the knit toys were all gifts for the lady and the preschooler. The handmade Waldorf doll was custom made for Max by Julie at FeeVertelaine for his third birthday.
The patchwork mat in vintage fabrics on the change table was from My Poppet, the blue plaid sunsuit hanging up was from Rae Gun on Etsy and the heart pillow was from Nature Baby. The bunny lamp was from Down to the Woods. Most of the little dresses around the room were mine as a baby and the storage trunks (there are two matching ones) were from K-Mart.

Max wrote his own name on the chalkboard. Rose had a bit of help with hers.

The vintage Kenner Family Tree House was a Salvation Army store find. I was pretty excited to nab it for $2 AUD. You can find similar ones on eBay.diy
The shadow box under the chalkboard was originally a jewellery box with a glass lid. I removed the lid and fixed it to the wall with 3M Command Strips. The bookshelf was a raw pine piece I painted white for Max before he was born.

challenges
Trying to find the best configuration for two in a dark, tiny space on an even tinier budget. One of the things I did to increase the light was to remove the timber Venetian blinds and replace them with a plain white blind. We also rent, so the basics like the wall colour, carpet etc had to stay as they were.best buy
Probably the book basket (free).

top tips
I guess I'm kind of a sentimental person so I'd say if you're going for a nostalgic feel take some time to research and collect pieces from the era of your choice. If you happened to have kept things from your childhood now is the time to unearth them to see if anything suits. For the most part I found Etsy, eBay and our local markets and thrift stores to be great for treasure hunting and conjuring up unique goodies.

I hope you enjoyed our little tour into the baby space place. Thanks for visiting :)

16
comments:

Such a beautiful space- I love it! I also loved seeing a few familiar items- we also have the abc print, the red sock monkey rattle and most surprisingly, the wooden moose on wheels that I just found at an opshop days ago! Great taste ;) xx

Love it, love it, love it, such a beautiful room your kids have! Totally my style! I love the nostalgic and vintage stuff! I`ve also kept things from my childhood and use it into my kids rooms or things to play with! Later today I will blog about some retro baby clothing, things that I wore when I was a baby haha! Check it out! X

Bron that is a gorgeous room! I love everything! I admit to a deep jealousy for finding the family tree so cheap, I have been on the look out forever lol. Your Dad is amazing too, that painting is stunning! :)